WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. secret service has been testing a facial recognition program in the vicinity of the White House since late November, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed on Tuesday.
"In yet another step toward the normalization of facial recognition as a blanket security measure, last week the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published details of a U.S. Secret Service plan to test the use of facial recognition in and around the White House," the organization said on its website.
The facial recognition software will only be used to track "people of interest," which at this point are volunteers in the secret service program, according to the DHS.
However, there is no way to separate the images of volunteers and pedestrians walking in front of the White House, the ACLU added.
Outlining the program, the DHS has suggested people who do not wanted to be captured on camera "may choose to avoid the area," according to a report by The Hill news daily.
